CCP Virus: Walmart, Grocery Stores Adding Sneeze Guards for Cashiers

A woman with a face mask loads her groceries in a Walmart carpark in Columbus, Ohio, on March 20, 2020. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Walmart and multiple grocery store chains are adding sneeze guards for cashiers to try to blunt the spread of the new CCP virus from China.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Walmart said it started installing sneeze guards, or plexiglass barriers, at pharmacy lanes in Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs. The guards will be installed at regular checkout lines over the next two to three weeks.

“Staying safe and healthy is more important than ever for our associates, our customers and for us,” Dacona Smith, executive vice president, wrote in a statement. “Installing these barriers is another way Walmart is helping bring peace of mind that we are doing everything we can to keep our people and our stores safe.”

Publix said in a statement sent to news outlets that plexiglass will be installed at all stores, starting March 28. The barriers will be installed over the next two weeks in three areas: cash registers, customer service desks, and pharmacies.

A Publix worker in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19, the company said over the weekend, prompting a “disinfection-level deep cleaning of the store.”

Customers look on as a Walmart cashier rings up their purchases at a Walmart store in California in a file photograph. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The company said it’s implemented heightened disinfection procedures and taken other measures like suspending food demonstrations and adding a senior-only shopping hour.

Kroger stores will also have partitions at cash registers, as will Albertsons, which owns Safeway stores.

A number of grocery stores, including Kroger, have cut open hours amid the pandemic to allow for cleaning and restocking as fewer people get food from restaurants and turn to the stores.

Grocery stores are considered essential services and governors in multiple states have said they'll never be closed. Some governors have advised or ordered residents to stay home except for essential trips as a way to slow the spread of the CCP virus.

Ways to avoid getting the illness include avoiding crowds, avoiding sick people, and wearing a mask and gloves when going out or when in contact with a suspected or confirmed case.